War Horse (Scholastic Gold)

Michael Morpurgo

Oct 2010 · Sold by Scholastic Inc.

About this ebook

A powerful tale of war, redemption, and a hero's journey--now available in paperback!In 1914, Joey, a beautiful bay-red foal with a distinctive cross on his nose, is sold to the army and thrust into the midst of the war on the Western Front. With his officer, he charges toward the enemy, witnessing the horror of the battles in France. But even in the desolation of the trenches, Joey's courage touches the soldiers around him and he is able to find warmth and hope. But his heart aches for Albert, the farmer's son he left behind. Will he ever see his true master again?

Ratings and reviews

“That’s what war is all about, my friend. It’s about which of us is the madder.” I remember when I saw this movie when it first came out in theatre. At the time, I didn’t realize it was an adaptation from a book. Naturally, when I learned of its origins, I had to read the book as well! War Horse is told in a similar fashion to Black Beauty, as it is told from the horse’s (Joey’s) perspective. While this point-of-view may be slightly limiting as it leaves out a lot of human emotion, I appreciated how it simplified the narration and actually made everything come across more bluntly. Just like humans, Joey and the other horses felt and experienced raw emotions throughout the war. Fear, anxiety, comradery, sacrifice--however, they came across without jadedness. Unlike humans, animals feel emotions without complications. This narration bled into the human characters throughout that were pivotal in Joey’s story, as their complicated situations were unraveled to reveal the jewels underneath. The main point about this book that I love is the theme of human value. Despite the fact of there being a war going on, there weren’t any ruthless characters that only wanted to kill, kill, kill. Everyone had a sense of general right and wrong and understood the fact that war is ugly, traumatic, complicated, and tiresome. ”The horse is yours. Take good care of him, my friend,” and he picked up the rope again and handed it to the Welshman. As he did so he held out his other hand in a gesture of friendship and reconciliation, a smile lighting his worn face. “In an hour, maybe, or two,” he said, “We will be trying to our best again each other to kill. God only knows why we do it, and I think he has maybe forgotten why. Goodby Welshman. We have shown them, haven’t we? We have shown them that any problem can be solved between people if only they can trust each other. That is all it needs, no?” This element of humanity is undeniably prevalent in a pure form to show how humans can only take so much. For a majority of this war, the people didn’t even know what they were fighting for. They didn’t hate each other--they knew they were all equals, and they respected each other in that. Comparably, the theme of friendship is very strong. Deep friendships between men, horses, and men to horses, exist in several examples. Albert and Joey--Joey and Captain Nicholls--Joey and Topthorn--Joey, Topthorn, and Emilie, and several other connections overflow this book with friendship. I believe this is the aspect which makes this book so emotional because the deepness of affection between characters in untainted ways is tangible. It’s so tangible, in fact, that several characters willingly faced their fears in order to sacrifice for one another. This book is devastatingly heart-wrenching at times but makes you feel so good at others. It’s a short read, but is packed full of virtue, respectful characters, and honorable missions--both by horse and man. It was a refreshing read and completely cleansed my palate. This book is aimed at children to young adults, but can easily be read and appreciated by someone of any age. I would highly recommend this read to anyone. Vulgarity: The “H” word is only used once. Sexual content: None at all. Violence: Seeing how this book is about WWI, the evidence of violence is there. However, the author does a wonderful job in its portrayal and steers clear of gore, unnecessarily graphic scenes, and the like. My Rating: ★★★★★

This book is realy sad but awesome in a bunch of different ways. It has to do world war 1 and how a boy named albert is sacrificing to keep these horses that he loves. Dont wana spoil the book for u if i told to much info.... but im going to see the movie with my class and we saw one of the horses named Topthorn and it was sooo.. real i could not beleave it so ur planing to read this book i wish u luck because u might *cry* :) 12/7/12 by: vuyiswa age:13

a brilliant feat of writing by the master story teller about a poor horses struggle through the hardships of world war 1 , it is about friendship ,trust and bravery shown by both sides . It paints a vivid picture of what millions of soldiers dreaded to meet everyday. Joey the main character recalls his nightmare of the war in grusome detial yet at the same time it makes you want to read until your eyes are a pile of dust. It has made me cry. It has made me laugh. But most of all it made me smile with the sheer emotion a book could give me. in my opion Michael Morpogos war horse is a fantasic read and not an opportunity to miss

About the author

Michael Morpurgo, former Children's Laureate of Britain, is the author of War Horse, called "Superb" by the New York Times Book Review, and now a major motion picture. His other prize-winning books include Kensuke's Kingdom, Private Peaceful, and The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips. Michael lives in England, with his wife, Clare. Together, they founded the charity Farms for City Children, which gives children from urban areas an opportunity to spend a week working on a farm. Learn more at michaelmorpurgo.org.